Room 205 (DVD)

You may now add to the addresses of anguish — Room 6, 1408, and so on — Room 205, the story of a pin-thin young beauty who moves into a dorm of doom and finds herself in endless peril at the hands of supernatural beings. Or are they? Could it be that Katrine's (Neel Rønholt) new roomies just playing mean pranks, or… worse still, that they are supernatural as well as mean-spirited?

Pretty as a Rembrandt and every bit as serene as a posed and poised portrait by an Old Master, we see a lot of Katrine's countenance in mirrors. Mirrors are where evil resides in Room 205, and it's in one of those rooms that another comely coed met her untimely demise and is seeking help from the outside world. The dead donna tries to lure Kat inside so that she can get out and take her place… or something like that. To be honest, I was a little confused and a lot bored throughout much of the film.

But I cannot deny Room 205 has its moments. The acting is good, and those Danes are a remarkably good-looking lot; but it's the moments of suspense and horror that really grab you… that is, if you can make through the drowsy first half of the flick without grabbing a nap. I have a thing for haunted reflections, so I wish there had been a little more of that spin on the story (mostly, it's Katrine wandering around, spooked) — but there are some super-sick shard scenes that make it worth the wait (hint: there is a button on your remote marked FF. Use it).

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

Special Features:

Audio commentary by director Martin Barnewitz and Steve Biodrowski

Behind-the-scenes of Room 205 featurette